appointing his lordship's predecessor, Alexander earl of Stirling, the celebrated poet, commander in chief of Nova Scotia, with the confirmation of the grant of that province made by James I. In the initial letter are the portraits of the king sitting on the throne, delivering the patent to the earl, and round the border representations in miniature of the customs, huntings, fishings, and productions, of the country, all in the highest preservation, and so admirably executed, that it was believed of the pencil of Vandyck. But Mr. Walpole ascribes it to Norgate, who was allowed the best illuminator of that age.'

NORIS (HENRY), one of the most celebrated scholars of the seventeenth century, was born at Verona, Aug. 29, 1631. His baptismal name was Jerom, which he changed to Henry, when he entered the order of the Augustines. His family is said to have been originally of England, whence a branch passed into Ireland, and even to Cyprus. When this island was taken by the Turks, a James Noris, who had defended it as general of artillery, settled afterwards at Verona, and it is from this person that the subject of the present article descended. His father's name was Alexander, and, according to Niceron, published several works, and among them a History of Germany. Maffei, however, attributes this work only to him, which is not a history of Germany, but of the German war from 1618 to the peace of Lubec, translated from the Italian by Alexander Noris. His son discovered, from his infancy, an excellent understanding, great vivacity, and a quick apprehension. His father, having instructed him in the rudiments of grammar, procured an able professor of Verona to be his preceptor. At fifteen, he was admitted a pensioner in the Jesuits' college at Rimini, where he studied philosophy; after which, he applied himself to the writings of the fathers of the church, particularly those of St. Augustine; and, taking the habit in the convent of Augustine monks of Rimini, he so distinguished himself among that fraternity, that, as soon as he was out of his noviciate, the general of the order sent for him to Rome, in order to give him an opportunity of improving himself in the more solid branches of learning. Here he indulged his favourite propensity for study to the utmost, and spent whole days,

1 Fuller's Worthies.-Lloyd's Memoirs.-Master's Hist. of C. C. C, C. p. 118. -Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting.

and even nights, in the library of his order at Rome. His daily course of reading was fourteen hours, and this practice he continued till he became a cardinal. It is easy to conceive that a student of such diligence, and whose memory and comprehension were equally great, must have accumulated a vast stock of knowledge. But for some time his reading was interrupted by the duties of a regent master being imposed on him, according to the usual practice; and we find that for some time he taught at Pesaro, and afterwards at Perugia, where he took his degree of doctor of divinity. Proceeding then to Padua, he applied himself to finish his "History of Pelagianism," which he had begun at Rome, when he was no more than twentysix and, having now completed his design, it was printed at Florence in 1673. The great duke of Tuscany invited him, the following year, to that city, made him his chaplain, and professor of ecclesiastical history in the university of Pisa, which the duke had founded with that view.

His "History of Pelagianism," however, although approved by many learned men, and in fact, the origin of his future advancement, created him many enemies. In it he had defended the condemnation pronounced, in the eighth general council, against Origen and Mopsuesta, the first authors of the Pelagian errors: he also added "An Account of the Schism of Aquileia, and a Vindication of the Books written by St. Augustine against the Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians." A controversy now arose, which was carried on between him and various antagonists, with much violence on their part, and with much firmness and reputation on his, and his book was at last submitted to the sovereign tribunal of the inquisition; but, although it was examined with the utmost rigour, the author was dismissed without the least censure. It was reprinted twice afterwards, and Noris honoured, by Pope Clement X. with the title of Qualificator of the Holy Office. Notwithstanding this, the charge was renewed against the "Pelagian History," and it was brought again before the inquisition, in 1676; and was again acquitted of any errors that affected the church. He now was left for sixteen years to the quiet enjoyment of his studies, and taught ecclesiastical history at Pisa, till he was called to Rome by Innocent XII. who made him under-librarian of the Vatican, in 1692. These distinctions reviving the animosity of his opponents, they threw out such insinuations, as obliged the pope to

appoint some learned divines, who had the character of impartiality, to re-examine father Noris's books, and make their report of them; and their testimony was so much to the advantage of the author, that his holiness made him counsellor of the inquisition. Yet neither did this hinder father Hardouin, one of his adversaries, and the most formidable on account of his erudition, from attacking him warmly, under the assumed title of a " Scrupulous Doctor of the Sorbonne." Noris tried to remove these scruples, in a work which appeared in 1695, under the title of "An Historical Dissertation concerning the Trinity that suffered in the Flesh;" in which having justified the monks of Scythia, who made use of that expression, he vindicated himself also from the imputation of having attacked the pope's infallibility, of having censured Vincentius Lirinensis, and other bishops of Gaul, as favourers of Semi-Pelagianism, and of having himself adopted the errors of the bishop of Ypres.

His answers to all these accusations were so much to the satisfaction of the pope, that at length his holiness honoured him with the purple in 1695. After this he was in all the congregations, and employed in the most important affairs, much to the hindrance of his studies, which he used deeply to regret to his friends. Upon the death of cardinal Casanati, he was made chief librarian of the Vatican, in 1700; and, two years afterwards, nominated, among others, to reform the calendar: but he died at Rome, Feb. 23, 1704, of a dropsy. He had the reputation of one of the most learned men in the sixteenth century, which seems justified by his many able and profound writings on subjects of ecclesiastical history and antiquities. Of the latter the most celebrated are, 1. "Annus et Epochæ Syro-Macedonum in vetustis urbium Syriæ nummis præsertim Mediceis expositæ," Florence, 1691, fol. and 2. "Cenotaphia Pisana Caii et Lucii Cæsarum dissertationibus illustrata," Venice, 1681, fol.. The whole of his works are comprized in 4 vols. fol. 1729-1732. Some authors mention a fifth volume, but Fabroni gives the contents of only four. They indicate much study of theology, the belles-lettres, sacred and profane history, antiquities and chronology. His History of Pelagianism, as it procured him the most reputation, occasioned also the only uneasiness with which his literary life was disturbed. He had written it with a good deal of caution, and confined himself mostly to historical

detail, mixing very little discussion, The Jesuits, how - . ever, took occasion to reproach him with Jansenism, and it must be allowed that while he rejected some particular notions of Jansenius, he leaned not a little to the doctrine of St. Augustine.'

NORRIS (JOHN), a learned English divine and Platonic philosopher, was born in 1657, at Collingborne-Kingston, in Wiltshire, of which place his father, Mr. John Norris, was then minister. After being educated in grammar, &c. at Winchester school, he was entered of Exeter college in Oxford in 1676; but was elected fellow of All Souls in 1680, soon after he had taken his degree of bachelor of arts. From his first application to philosophy, Plato became his favourite author; by degrees he grew deeply enamoured with beauties in that divine writer, as he thought him, and took an early occasion to communicate his ideal happiness to the public, by printing an English translation of a rhapsody entitled "Effigies Amoris," but which he called "The Picture of Love unveiled," in 1682. He commenced master of arts in 1684, and the same year opened a correspondence with that learned mystic Dr. Henry More, of Christ's college in Cambridge, and with those learned females, lady Masham, and Mrs. Astell.

He resided at his college, and had been in holy orders five years, when he was presented to the rectory of Newton St. Loe, in Somersetshire, 1689; upon which occasion he married, and resigned his fellowship. In 1691, his distinguished merit procured him the rectory of Bemerton, near Sarum. This living, upwards of 2001. a-year, came very seasonably to his growing family; and was the more acceptable, for the easiness of the parochial duty, which gave him leisure to make an addition to his revenues, by the fruits of his genius; the activity of which produced a large harvest, that continued increasing till 1710 *. But he seems to have died a martyr, in some measure, to this activity; for, towards the latter end of his life, he grew

* Such is the information of the Biographia Britannica. By a letter of his own, however, addressed to Dr. Charlett of Oxford, we learn a very different account. "I might be glad perhaps to be a little easier in the world, which indeed is but strait and hard with

me, the clear income of my parsonage not being much above three-score and ten pounds a-year, all things dis. charged." See the whole of this intèresting letter in "Letters written by eminent Persons," 1813, 3 vols. 8vo.

.

1 Fabroni, vol. VI.—Niceron, vols. III and X.-Chaufepie.-Le Clerc's Bibl. Choisie, vol. IV.-Maffei Verona Illustrata.

VOL. XXII.

very infirm, and died 1711, in his 55th year, at Bemerton. He was interred in the chancel of that church, where there is a handsome marble monument erected to his memory, with the following inscription: "H. S. E. Johannes Norris, parochiæ hujus rector, ubi annos viginti bene latuit curæ pastorali & literis vacans, quo in recessu sibi posuit late per orbem sparsa ingenii paris ac pietatis monumenta. Obiit An. Dom. 1711, ætatis 54."

As to his character, he had a tincture of enthusiasm in his composition, which led him to imbibe the principles of the idealists in philosophy, and the mystics in theology; and the whole turn of his poetry shews that enthusiasm made him a poet. As an idealist, he opposed Locke, and adorned Malebranche's opinion, of seeing all things in God, with all the advantages of style, and perspicuity of expression. A late writer who appears to have studied his works with almost the same enthusiasm that inspired them, says, that "in metaphysical acumen, in theological learning, and in purity of diction, Mr. Norris acknowledges no superior. Mr. Locke, the reputed discoverer of the true theory of the mind, does not rank higher in that peculiar branch of science than our penetrating divine; for if his reply to Locke's Essay on Human Understanding be critically considered, it will be found to detect many fundamental errors in that celebrated treatise.

"The piety of Norris was as conspicuous as his learning and abilities. The extreme fervour of devotion which appears throughout his works, may be termed enthusiasm in this age, when moral precepts, elegantly dressed, constitute clerical compositions.

"The Theory of the Ideal World' may be considered as the capital work of Norris. The depth of thought, and the acuteness of logic, which he displays in this treatise on a very abstruse subject, justly entitle him to claim a high rank among metaphysicians. His philosophical pieces, with a peculiar vigour of mind, display a closeness of style, and a nice but just discrimination of causes and effects; and though in a treatise professedly on the subject, he decries the value of scholastic learning, yet he every where proves his familiarity with every branch of it; and perhaps he has made a more frequent and better use of logic, than any writer in the English language.

"As the pious and sincere Christian, as the fervent and zealous divine, Norris is above praise. The pure morality